Maxtor Personal storage 3200 suddenly not recognized

[cuadvantage]

Ok, Just looked and it was back mounted on my desktop... not sure if the cord fixed the issue... but am definitely going to copy anything I need off the drive just in case!

 

[repeters1]

I hooked up my Maxtor 3200 and the green light comes on and I can hear the drive through the case going click, click, click, click, click, but XP won't recognize it. I checked the output of the power supply and it shows 12.4 volts. Fried hard drive???

 

[mrivner]

So what are the proper specs for this power supply.
Michael

 

[mcookaz]

Oh you are not going to believe this one. I was sure it was the power supply. I looked through about 50 adapters and could not find the exact match. So I took the supply over to our maintenance guys to check out the power supply. 12 volts coming out the right end. It was not the supply. I tried to pry the thing open because no screws. Wouldn't budge. I did not hear anything as the power was put to it. I was figuring I had a door stop for my auto closing door. one last shot.... I took the hard drive in one hand and holding it flat wondered if I could spin it and shake the poor thing loose. IT WORKED!!! I am doing a copy of everything on it right now.

 

[Vic4007]

Many Thanks for the power supply tip

Had tried many of the other fixes;

Uninstall/Reinstall
Update Drivers
Swap with newer computers
etc

It was the power supply
Had a similar spec one - swapped it all OK
saved me having to spend money as I swap 2 drives to do backups each night

Good on you and thanks for this forum

 

[jvoitle]

I have also had the same problem. Finally read this and unplugged the AC adapter from the end of the power strip, and plugged it in at the front. Drive working now! Thanks to all.

 

[dgannon_32]

Hi, I had the same problem, "code 10 error, device failed to start". Low buzzing sound and hard drive heating up more than usual.

Took it down to a local repair place where they took the case off and tried to plug it directly into the internal power yokey in a desktop tower.. same response. They concluded that the motor inside was seized and referred me to a data recovery specialist who said it would cost at least €700 to repair.

So then I took it home, moderately p***ed off, figured i had nothing to lose (also i think i had read mcookaz post on this thread ) so i plugged it in to the power and just shook it! I shook it, while holding it flat, in a semi-violent kind of clockwise and anticlockwise rotation kind of way for about 10 seconds. Then i heard the low buzzing sound speed up and become a healthy working hard drive sound!

I guess it kind of push started the motor or dislodged something that was stuck, either way I'm very relieved.

So, if you've tried everything else and your about to shell out big bucks for data recovery, try shaking the bejeezus out of it! It's not a very sophisticated solution but it's cheap!

 

[sindrestang]

Reading the length of all the problems both here and on Seagates homepages, it is disturbing how many problems there is with theyre discs.
My disc is just blinking a green light, but part from that it's dead. I have after a day of searching found that it means the Maxtor 3200 has gone into "power saving mode".
I thought it was the power - nope
I thought it was the USB - nope
I thought it was "age" - nope
I tried disconect and reconect - nope
I tried other PCs - nope
I tried at last shaking - nope

It seems i have to go down to dismanteling unscrewing taking it to pieces mode...........
This is my 3rd seagate / Maxtor disc that just call it evening. Support is a laugh, and it is not advisable to use their discs for backup, because if you need the backup the unit won't start.

thank you Seagate, for everything!

 

[engineerguy]

My Maxtor 3200 / ul200h0140101 also failed to be recognized and failed to spin-up. The green light was on but no noise or a faint pulsing sound could be heard in the case. I checked the power supply and it was fine. I ended up swapping the 200 Gig PATA drive into another External USB enclosure and was able to access my data and use the drive again. I installed a test drive into the Maxtor case and found that one of the surface mount capacitors was bad at C34 near the power connector. How did I find it? I tapped on all the Surface mount parts with an insulated probe until C34 sparked. After it sparked the drive spun up and the unit worked again. Conclusion: They have problems with the cheap SM capacitors and a lot of people have defective drive enclosures that work on and off until the capacitors short out completely or burn open and the unit will actually work again. This particular drive didn't spin up and acted intermittently for months previous and started doing so after the warranty was up.

 

[engineerguy]

Opening these guys up can be frustrating. no screws in these cases, just 4 sliding interlock rails. Using a slender and flat metal probe or knife that fits into the air vent slots. You have to slide the retaining bar at each corner towards the outer corner of the case. If you hold the drive uptp the light and look through the vents you will see the small metal tabs that needs to be pushed with your metal tool. I used an old fashioned cutlery butter/jam knife with a not to wide profile that fit the available vent slots and levered on each of the 4 tabs. It isn't hard once you realize that you can't pry these suckers open by brute force.

 

[paul60]

I had the same issue "code 10 error, device failed to start." I stuck a meter on the power adapter and found 12V, so I figured the power supply was good. I was wrong.

I plugged in another 12V 2amp power supply and the drive came up and I'm able to access it.

This site was very helpful.

 

[scoiler]

Had the same issue. Just before cracking the 3200 open, I decided to try the "hard spin mimicking disk spin" method. Holy crap it worked!!! Ain't technology fun?

 

[JohnG1]

I am experiencing a similar problem.

Let me post the message I sent to my cousin, who is a computer tech.

"I am having some issues with my external hard drive. It is a Maxtor 3200 and should be plug and play, in Windows XP. The hard drive is detected by my computer and is acknowledged upon plugging/unplugging, however does not show up in My Computer. When I use "Safely Remove Hardware", it recognizes it as the Maxtor 3200, but still will not show up in My Computer. I have tried to find drivers for it in XP, but everywhere I look, I am told that it is plug and play and no driver is needed. Up until now I have never had this problem, but have just reformatted my computer. Upon reformatting the problem began, and I have all of my backed up files on the HD. Any tips?"

Can anybody please help me resolve this? I am at a dead end here, and have endless amounts of music and necessary files to recover.

Thanks all!!

 

[JohnG1]

Update: tried using with another laptop also using windows xp, same result, not picked up in my computer, but recognized as being plugged in, and acknowledged in taskbar as "maxtor 3200", what is the deal?!

 

[BMcGee]

Same issue as everyone else - Maxtor 3200 just stopped working! After reading all these comments I had Radio Shack test my power supply and they said it was working fine. I came home, read this blog again and decided to go back to Radio Shack and ask to try a new power source - sure enough, the hard drive fired right up & all files found! Amazing it still worked since I had already tried the "wack it a few times" & "shake the beejezus out of it" methods! So, thank goodness I tried the new power supply for $40 and hadn't opted for the $1500 data recovery place! I wonder how many data recovery labs see these Maxtors coming in the door, rub their hands together, get out their new power cords, retreieve people's data and laugh all the way to the bank with your $1500? Thanks to all who had posted here to help me find the cheap fix! I immediately bought a new hard drive - and it is not a Maxtor or Seagate!

 

[josaluan]

Worked on a clients PC with the same issue. Here's the fix!

The problem with all those folks who's drive will not spin-up or the drive is no longer seen by windows, is that your AC power supply has gone bad!! It's not supplying enough power to do anything but turn that silly little green light on...
I had a 2nd external drive with the same power adapter, plugged it in and the "supposed" dead drive spun right up & was recognized by XP!!
Now just need to find a replacement AC adapter...

Thank you WRXGuy02! You were right. I had the same problem (green light was on) but Windows could get it to work. AS soon as I replaced the AC power supply it worked like a charm.
That was very, very helpful!

Best regards!

Josa

 

[Taurina]

Hi, I had the same problem, "code 10 error, device failed to start". Low buzzing sound and hard drive heating up more than usual.

Took it down to a local repair place where they took the case off and tried to plug it directly into the internal power yokey in a desktop tower.. same response. They concluded that the motor inside was seized and referred me to a data recovery specialist who said it would cost at least €700 to repair.

So then I took it home, moderately p***ed off, figured i had nothing to lose (also i think i had read mcookaz post on this thread ) so i plugged it in to the power and just shook it! I shook it, while holding it flat, in a semi-violent kind of clockwise and anticlockwise rotation kind of way for about 10 seconds. Then i heard the low buzzing sound speed up and become a healthy working hard drive sound!

I guess it kind of push started the motor or dislodged something that was stuck, either way I'm very relieved.

So, if you've tried everything else and your about to shell out big bucks for data recovery, try shaking the bejeezus out of it! It's not a very sophisticated solution but it's cheap!

OMG... it worked for me too...Shake Shake Shake!!!!

 

[johnweiwei]

try shaking like mad and sweat and it still not working. Change adaptor and instantly it came out and working.

 

[onefourrthree143]

Can anyone tell me where I can purchase a new AC Adapter? I purchased a Rocketfish adapter at Best Buy, but when I plug it, the light on MPS doesn't even illuminate. I tried shaking the MPS as suggested above and still nothing. I'm desperate, we have baby pictures and iTune songs on this hard drive and I would be heartbroken if I can't recover these memories. Thank you.

 

[DocLowrey]

You can buy a new adapter at radio shack, bestbuy or other electronic supply house. If the volts and amps match, that seems to be what matters. Mine is a 12 v. 2 amp. My wife had a matching one and it worked. I'd been trying to get the case off so I could buy an enclosure for the HD. I am so thankful for the tip to try a different (but matching) power supply. All my files are now accessible (and every file I had - work, family pics, court docs was only on the external drive - I've been very freaked out) The power supply number for my Maxtor 3200 is u01e200. If you ask for that or just any matching volt and amp supply it should work. At radio shack they are $40. Since I was also quoted (by Maxtor, now Seagate) up to $3,000.00 to recover my data, I am insanely relieved to be able to fix it for free by using my wife's PS. I'm so glad I didn't bust the case open before I kept reading as none of the other advise worked. Thanks again so much!!!

 

[choppbobby]

I realize that this is an old thread, but I have to tell what I did to correct this problem.
First I determined that the power cord was causing the problem. (With help in here).
I had an old printer with a 12 volt power supply unit. I had to splice the 3200's power jack to the printer's transformer cord, and that did it. Be aware that the output voltage is DC, and you must get the polarity correct.
Bob

 

[VicK-UK]

Just to add I had the same problem and was just about to bin my drive before reading this thread. I took a chance and bought a new power supply via Amazon, cost £8.74 including freight! Plugged it in and to my joy the drive spun up and worked better then ever, much faster and quieter then before!

I had noticed before complete failure that the drive was getting noisy and put it down to old age as it is at least 7 years old so when it failed I assumed the drive had crashed, so glad I read this forum before dumping it along with all my backups and other info:

Would suggest that if your drive gets noisy it may well be an indication that the power supply is on the way out!

Many thanks for all your tips.

Vic